“At the heart of it all — is giving. And the fact that it takes a community to do this, working together and sharing, that’s what’s important.”
Spoken by Lee Grim at the onset of the very first Christmas Day Community Dinner in 2006, he is describing a special event where local residents are urged to make Christmas a reflection of the caring that lies within the community.
It responded, and the event has come to represent the generosity for which the community is known.
For the fourth consecutive year, the public is now invited to enjoy a community-sponsored Christmas Day dinner together, free to all, at the Road House Supper Club and Community Center from 3-7 p.m.
For the last three annual events, local people arrived from all walks of life — those with good fortune, those down on their luck, and those who are often lonely or sad. They came hungry — not just for food — but for the spirit of Christmas.
“There’s many kinds of need,” Carl Brown reiterated to The Journal Monday. Brown offers his Highway 11 East business, The RoadHouse, as the venue for the yearly event. He explained that the gathering is a graceful opportunity to merge community needs — of which one is the desire to give.
Grim, a minister at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, conceived the idea along with Brown. Others quickly joined in to make the occasion what it has become. The food, the organization and the labor for all facets of the free community-wide dinner event are completely donated by local churches, businesses and individuals. Carolers and musicians provide live music amidst festive decorations.
Many people spend the Christmas season trying to recapture that holiday feeling they had as children, say the men. They long for a magical spell to waft over the wintry season, transforming the earthly and the mundane into something enchanting. Amid the holiday chaos, that search may not always be in the consciousness but for many — there’s an emptiness. For others, there’s a real, physical lack of food and belonging.
The result has been a plethora of giving that warms the hearts of many.
A remarkable outcome of the gathering is the benefit to the Falls Hunger Coalition. Many of those who attend also contribute toward those who will continue to be in need long after the Christmas carols stop and the lights cease their twinkling. Collectively, the dinners have raised about $12,000 in cash and another $4,000 in food items toward the food shelf.
The need is greater than ever, according to Nancy Anderson, executive director of the Falls Hunger Coalition. She told The Journal that fresh potatoes, frozen foods and canned meals are basically nonexistent on the current food shelves.
“Our shelves are so empty and depleted,” she said, adding that it’s been a challenge trying to fill them again. Anderson said that the agency continues to see new faces using the service, and that the average number of pounds of food dispersed in a month grew recently from 10,000 to 12,000 pounds per month.
Anderson said that it is heartbreaking to know that some parents must choose between feeding their family or buying presents. Coalition staff promotes the dinner to food-shelf users, encouraging them to enjoy Christmas with the community. Anderson attends the dinner herself, finding it “a wonderful community event,” and enjoying “the feeling of people coming together.” She acknowledges that the ultimate benefit is to the food shelf and its users, and to a “good start of the new year” for the agency. The fund raiser has grown each year.
“It’s (Christmas Day donations) something that the food shelf doesn’t ever want to take for granted, but has come to count on,” Anderson said, noting that anonymous giving is a very interesting hallmark of a community known for its generosity. And while the agency is grateful for all donations, Anderson explained that cash donations enable the purchase of foods in specific categories at the agency, and that funds can be turned into more pounds of food per dollar.
Free-will offerings will again be accepted at the RoadHouse event. Monetary contributions are payable to the Falls Hunger Coalition. Checks should be earmarked for the Christmas Community Dinner and may be left at the dinner, mailed to Falls Hunger Coalition at 1000 Fifth St., International Falls; dropped off at St. Thomas parish or placed in the participating churches’ collection baskets, clearly marked Christmas Community Dinner. All money will be used for the dinner or to support the Falls Hunger Coalition.
Pat Bjorum, pastoral associate at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, will again coordinate volunteers for the dinner. Those interested in volunteering for parking, setup, serving, cleanup, driving, delivering and other tasks should contact Bjorum at quinstt@hotmail.com or 283-3293. After-hours calls will be returned.
Community members are encouraged to seek out those who may be isolated or who reside in facilities, and offer to bring them. Bjorum told The Journal why she believes the holiday event is a success, and important:
“The community dinner is a classic reason people choose to live in a small town. We can celebrate our smallness and the possibility of just being family for one another,” Bjorum continued. “Many persons are hesitant to come to the dinner if they don't have a buddy to register with. Indeed, one of the main reasons for this dinner is for these very people who might be alone. One can't possibly be alone at the Community Christmas Dinner.”
On the menu is a roast beef and ham meal with all the trimmings. Free rides are offered (see Page 1 box) and dinners will be delivered to homes for those who cannot attend as well as to shift workers in the workplace on Christmas Day. Etta Jean Goulet is in charge of delivered meals (see Page 1 box). Valet and handicapped parking will also be available.
The Christmas Day
Community Dinner
FREE • All ARE WELCOME • 3 to 7 p.m. Christmas Day at The Road House, Highway 11 East of International Falls. Reservations are not necessary.
RIDES: Rides to and from The Road House are available to anyone. To reserve a ride, call The Road House at 286-3545 from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily. Give a phone number, address and pickup time.
MEAL DELIVERIES: Christmas dinner deliveries are available to shut-ins, on-duty workers or anyone who cannot attend the event. Those who want meals delivered at noon on Christmas day should call Etta Jean Goulet at 283-9659. For meal delivery from 3-6:30 p.m., call The Road House at 286-3545.
VOLUNTEERING: Those wishing to volunteer by serving as greeters, servers, phone monitors, drivers, table setters, dishwashers, and in other roles, should contact coordinator Pat Bjorum at quinstt@hotmail.com or 283-3293. After-hours calls will be returned. Lee Grim may be contacted at 286-5649 or clgrim@charter.net.
Free will offerings will be accepted.
All proceeds benefit the Falls Hunger Coalition. Donations may also be mailed to Christmas Dinner, c/o Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 820 Fourth Avenue, International Falls, MN 56649; or the Falls Hunger Coalition, Christmas Dinner, 1000 Fifth Street, International Falls, MN 56649.
